Ahh, job is DONE! (well except I have not installed the whole house surge protection yet. A little bit of a Novella follows. So maybe pour a cup o' Joe and enjoy
So, the plan started out ambitiously enough. All things equal we should have been done by noon or so. Well, the job lasted until nearly 20:00! We pulled the meter. No drama. Got my generator running and ran extension cords into basement window for lights and to keep my network/security running best we could. Meter pulled and into the main primary breaker box to loosen the clamps on that blasted aluminum cable running in. 2 lugs loosened right up. but one of them was somewhat "blackened". Try as much as we could, nothing freed it. We finally removed the main breaker, cut that cable, and slid the clamp out of the box. Only to find back of the box melted and somewhat "burned" (see the photos). Well buddy said "we're screwed". Well being the old panel was Siemens and I found out I could use old Siemens breakers in the new style but not vice' verse' I'd in anticipation bought a new Siemens box. Well as luck would have it even though direct replacement it would not accept the incoming cables as anticipated, but a quick check showed another "matching" Square D Homeline 100 amp, 20 space would. So back to Menards, bought a bunch of assorted Square D Breakers and another 100 Amp 20 Space Sq D box to match the other.
Got the old Siemens off and we were able to fit the Sq D like it was made for it. With one exception. Because of how the power was run into the house, the main panel was installed as some might call it, "upside down". Main is on the bottom. Was not the first time I've seen a panel done like this.
The ordeal was getting the rats nest the builder's (so called professional) electrician had left us out of the original, cleaned up, run into, sorted and reset into it. This was GRUELING especially because my friend and I both have the same malady. Our thumbs under extended stress and use, "lock up" solid. To the point you cannot even pull them straight. Much pain, much cussing out the previous fool, and wondering how our big fine bodies had aged into this mess
FWIW my little 3500W Inverter Generator ran flawlessly and MAYBE used a gal of fuel over the close to 11 hours we were using it. And 2 weeks prior (which was the first time it was ever used since buying it 4 years earlier) my daughter ended up running it 3 days straight because of no power thanks to the huge storms we had. Time for an oil change.
In the end we got power back on and house up and running fully by about 20:00 last night. And I just put the covers on this AM. Who knows maybe in another 40 years I'll have to do it again
